Bought this century year old fixer-upper recently and hope to have her in the water next season. She is 15 feet overall, 5 ft. beam with a 19ft. mast, drop centerboard, a marconi mainsail but confused by the jib rigging. It has a pulley about three feet below the connection to the mast on the jib cable. Cedar carvell planking on steam bent oak ribs. Pretty confident about the repairs but lost with the sail plan. Where do i start to investigate the identification process?
HELP! Identify this hull so I can get her sails!
- Thread starter Mark Hopper
- Start date
- Status
I would trailer her to a sail maker and have them take some measurements and tell you what they think.
The jib halyard should come out of the mast, through the pulley, and dead-end on the mast somewhere near the halyard exit.
Isn't the mast solid wood? So the halyard simply goes up and back through a block. But are you saying that the halyard block is not close to where the forestay attaches to the mast?
I am guessing from your description that she is gaff rigged with hoops. Google "gaff rigging" and see if the pictures match the hardware on your mast.
The pulley you mentioned is called a "block" in sailboat talk. The jib cable is referred to as a halyard. You, mentioned it was a sloop, so I don't know why someone suggested it was a gaff rigged boat. Your picture does not show the rig. The rig is what is important for making sails, not the hull. If you contact a sailmaker, he will give you a measuring guide to determine the necessary data to come up with a sail quote. Life is not that hard in saildomland.
No offense Mark, but if you are going to get into the boat restoration business it would behoove you to learn the proper nautical terminoloy.
Your boat is some kind of auxillary craft designed for shallow water work... the mast can be easily un stepped and there are two pairs of fittings for pintles on the gunwhales... i.e. a place to chock 2 sets of oars.
Did the previous owner give you any info at all?
Looking at your picture I can't see any fittings that would accommodate a head sail. No lead blocks, no cleats for the sheets, and no place to tack the jib. Of course it could be easy to add this stuff... but to me this looks like a small lifeboat. 2 or 4 crew on the oars, a helmsman and room for a few others... and a mast that can be quickly rigged and sailed with a simple mainsail...
But then again, what the hell do I know.
Your boat is some kind of auxillary craft designed for shallow water work... the mast can be easily un stepped and there are two pairs of fittings for pintles on the gunwhales... i.e. a place to chock 2 sets of oars.
Did the previous owner give you any info at all?
Looking at your picture I can't see any fittings that would accommodate a head sail. No lead blocks, no cleats for the sheets, and no place to tack the jib. Of course it could be easy to add this stuff... but to me this looks like a small lifeboat. 2 or 4 crew on the oars, a helmsman and room for a few others... and a mast that can be quickly rigged and sailed with a simple mainsail...
But then again, what the hell do I know.
Mark
Your hull cries out for a loose footed lug sail.
Look up – google – “Drascome Scaffie” to get the idea.
You might also check out the Royal Navy’s 27 foot whaler. These were used on many ships during and after WW II. Not dis-similar to the boat used by Bligh of the Bounty. While they also had a jib and mizzen, the main was a classic loose footed lug sail. You have to “dip the lug” when tacking.
PM if you need more.
Your hull cries out for a loose footed lug sail.
Look up – google – “Drascome Scaffie” to get the idea.
You might also check out the Royal Navy’s 27 foot whaler. These were used on many ships during and after WW II. Not dis-similar to the boat used by Bligh of the Bounty. While they also had a jib and mizzen, the main was a classic loose footed lug sail. You have to “dip the lug” when tacking.
PM if you need more.
Judging from you comments, the rigging I can see and interpolating a couple of missing pieces suggested by the wood work...this is what I think you might have had as original rigging.
- Status